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The US economy goes through ups and downs. Every five to seven years we have a recession, which typically lasts for a year or two, then we have a recovery, which is usually much longer. It isn’t a matter of “if we have a recession”; it’s a matter of when. So doesn’t it makes sense […]

David Johnson is founder and managing partner of Abraxas Group, a boutique advisory firm providing interim leadership to companies in transition. David has served as an interim executive or financial advisor to dozens of companies in transition and is a public speaker on the topics of change management, turnaround, restructuring, and value creation. You have […]

The holidays are upon us: parties, shopping, catching up with relatives, meeting work deadlines, closing out the books for the year and taking much-needed time off. These are all important, but it’s also important to take a hard look at where your business has been for the past year, and where you want it to […]

At some point, every business owner has to leave the business. While closing down is always an option, it is almost never the best one. Also, what’s the point of simply shutting down when a nest egg or funding for the next opportunity is available? The most common exit option is a business sale. However, […]

As the owner or president of your company, you need to know how your business is doing. Is it growing? Has it plateaued? Is it sliding backward? Six Key Areas The problem is deciding which metrics to track. Management consulting firms and business consultants have trouble agreeing on what those areas are. A recent Google […]

We met Helena Swyter from SweeterCPA through a mutual business connection after attending a networking event. Most small business owners are too busy to handle taxes, bookkeeping, and anything else having to do with the IRS. Often they start out doing the work themselves, but soon find themselves overwhelmed and finally hire a bookkeeper and […]

At some point, you are going to think about expanding your business. Hopefully, your business has been very successful and you want to take it to the next level. You may have a vision of what it can be and want to make that a reality. If that’s the case, there are two general approaches: […]

Most of the time in the business world, the focus is on large corporations – quarterly earnings or losses, their newest product, the latest corporate scandal, or their latest complaint about taxes. We rarely hear anything about small businesses, often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees. Yet, if you look more deeply, you […]

While restaurants may not have the highest failure rate of any industry, they are certainly up there. Depending on timing — before, during or after a major economic downturn — and a number of other variables, experts peg restaurant failure rates at somewhere between 17% and 90% within the first year. Inexperienced owners with limited […]

When your company began operations, you or the founders had a vision. You pictured what your company could become, and the impact it could have. Hopefully, you then developed a business plan mapping out how the company would accomplish this. If you were not the owner or one of the founders, you likely adopted the original vision and […]

"There is always a better strategy than the one you have; you just haven’t thought of it yet."

- Brian Pitman, former CEO of Lloyds TSB

"Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

- Sun Tzu

"What’s the use of running if you are not on the right road?"

- German proverb

"Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression."

- Sir John Harvey-Jones

"Change is inevitable, growth is intentional"

- Glenda Cloud

"Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth."

- Tom Barrett

"The innovation point is the pivotal moment when talented and motivated people seek the opportunity to act on their ideas and dreams."

- W. Arthur Porter

A fool with a plan is better than a genius without a plan."

- T. Boone Pickens (from his father)

"Success is doing a thousand little things the right way … over and over again."

- Charles R. Walgreen Sr.

"The general consensus of the board was we've got nothing to lose by doing a feasibility study. That'll give us data, not just feelings and what-ifs."

- Robert Haskell

"There can be no talk of when until a feasibility study is completed."

- Viktor Khristenko

“You can observe a lot just by watching.”

- Yogi Berra

"Slow and steady wins the race."

- Unknown

"Observe the turtle: He progresses only with his neck out."

- American Indian saying

"Complicare e facile. Semplificare e difficile."

- Bruno Munari

"I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot ... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

- Michael Jordan (in a TV commercial for Nike)

"Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so."

- Galileo

"You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going 'cause you might not get there."

- Yogi Berra

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

- Harriet Tubman

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching."

Satchel Paige

When the river rises, the fish eats the ant. When the river falls, the ant eats the fish.